The Marietta journal. [volume] (Marietta, Ga.) 1866-1909, 1887-02-10
Brooklyn Citizen.

does not see her then, for she may
refuse to remove her vail until three
days have elapsed alter the wedding.
If he doesn't ike her he cannot
get divorce, but he may marry an
other wife, and then another and an
other, until he has gone through the
blindtold lottery often enough to get
one that suits him. Some of these
Chinese CrGsuses have hundreds Of
wives. There was an old bachelor
who took it into his head to get mar
rled one winter and he married 200
wives before he got through. The
last wife Is the tavorite, but the first
one is the boss"
IF man never sees his wife be-
fore their wedding, how does he make
love to her?'
''He doesn't make love to her.
Ills mother arranges the match, and
his future mother-in-law makes love
to him. 1t is sour courtship. Chill
dren are formally engaged to other
children that they have never seen,
at the tender age of nine or ten, and
after an engagement Of ten or twelve
years they get married"
'Does a Chinaman ever marry his
cousin Z"
No; marriage of cousins was new
er known in China. A man may no
more marry his cousin in China than
in England man may marry his de-
ceased wife's sister. You talk about
your old families here, and your old
est families are only five generations
old. In China families are seventy
five and eighty generations old, and
every member has complete record
of his ancestors for all these genera
tons. The remotest kinship pre-
vents marriage in China and if two
families have the faintest Imaginable
kinship seventy-fye generations back
their children cannot marry"
What are the most common fami-
lies in your country
The Chens, the Wongs and the
Lees. The Chens are the Smiths OF
China, the Wongs are the Joneses
and the Lees are the Browns. A Mr..
Chen would marry Miss Wong, but
he wouldn't marry a Miss Chen,
Perhaps that is the reason why the
old folks makes the matches. tpre-
vents the Chens from falling in love
with one another.
care the Chinese ladies cultiya-
ted Z"
"Oh, yes; they can read and write,
draw, paint and embroider. They
never 90 out on the streets with their
husbands. If a Chinese man and
woman were to walk on the street
arm in arm in their country, as
American men and women do, they
would be mobbed. The women stay
indoor. If they wish to visit then
mothers they take conveyanccs.
Some times they may be seen walk
ing in the park with their children .
''You are married :"
"Yes."
$40 a Chinese lady p
''No; to an american. | came &
this country When a boy II years
old Though / was 5000 miles from
China, my mother betrothed me to q
little Chinese girl had never seen
My mother used to write to me how
small her feet were and how pretty
she was, and what beautiful cat
like nose she had. When | was q
years old mother sent me letter
saying was old enough to get mar
ried and must come back to China
and marry the girl"
"What did you think about it 2"
81 thought | was old enough, and
so Tell heels over cue in love with an
American girl in Nevada and mar
ried her. We had our pictures tax.
en-, and sent one to my mother, to-
gother with an account Of the we'd
ding, which ! translated from al
American newspaper into Chinese
"What happened 2"
"rhe next thing knew my uncle
and four cousins came to the United
States and had me arrested Tor biga.
my. was taken before . court and
tried. My uncle went on the stand
and swore had wife in China.
"What did you DO then 2"
- thought | was in a box, as you
Americans say. The Judge asked the
witnesses how old | was when 1 left
China. They replied that my moth.
er had picked her out for me, and
use law was the same
then what ....,.e.. 4ge said thai
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